Homemade Seitan

Makes 1 pound

Wheat meat! No need to spend a ton of money or time on seitan. This method is simple and delicious.

But before we begin, let’s address some of the seitan pitfalls. The biggest mistake made by young, aspiring seitan makers is boiling instead of simmering. Boiling is great if you’re trying to create fake brains, but for all other purposes, a gentle simmer will create the tender chunks of seitan that are perfect for slicing and sauteeing.

Which brings us to the next rule of seitan, which is to always gently sautee the seitan in a little olive oil before adding it to recipes. Seitan that has only been boiled tastes okay, but for great texture – crisp on the outside, tender on the inside – a 5 minute saute is all you need. Using a cast iron pan to saute will score you even more points, because it gives the slices great charred flavor, too.

Oh, one last thing: I’ve changed the directions and ingredients a bit to make it foolproof, so if you’ve made this recipe before please give the directions a scan before proceeding.

Fill a stock pot with the water, broth and soy sauce, cover and bring to a boil.

In the mean time, in a large bowl mix together gluten and yeast. In a smaller bowl mix together broth, soy sauce, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. Pour the wet into the dry and combine with a wooden spoon until most of the moisture has absorbed and partially clumped up with the dry ingredients. Use your hands and knead for about 3 minutes, until it’s an elastic dough. Divide into 3 equal pieces with a knife and then knead those pieces in your hand just to stretch them out a bit. Let rest until the broth has come to a full boil.

Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer. Add the gluten pieces and partially cover pot so that steam can escape. Let simmer for 45 minutes, turning occasionally. Turn the heat off and take the lid off, let sit for 15 minutes.

Remove from broth and place in a strainer until it is cool enough to handle. Slice and use as desired.

370 comments to Homemade Seitan

i tried using your recipe from the other site, and it did not turn out very well 🙁 but that’s ok because my kitty is vegan too and we often feed him seitan and he doesn’t care what it looks like 🙂 i will be sure to try this one again, making the appropriate tweaks. on another note…how do you pronounce seitan isa?

Hey, I don’t want to lecture you about your cat – but wanted to make sure you are aware that cat’s can’t naturally be vegan. Taurine is an amino acid, and for cats it’s an essential amino acid, which means that they have to get it from a food source, their systems can’t synthesize it on their own (like humans and dogs can for example).

There is Taurine in nutritional yeast, but you may want to look further into the topic for your kitteh’s health. Prolonged lack of Taurine in a cat’s diet can result in, among other things, blindness and heart failure. I urge you to consider it, thank you!

And if you already know this I apologize, but I’m willing to type it out in case it can help any furry friend.

Hi Justin, no worries about the lecturing. We actually get it all the time and I did a lot of research before changing his diet. I love my kitty and if his health ever worsened I would change his diet back to omnivorous in a second. I follow recipes from vegecat and use supplements and special yeast which provide Jasper (the cat) with the taurine he needs (as well as other important nutrients). His health has actually improved, as has our dog’s. since changing over to meat-free.

I’m interested in how you’re feeding your cat. I have 4 cats and though I’m not looking to make them vegan, if I have stuff in my house already which would supplement the nutrition that their cat food is lacking (or replace the cat food all together in a healthier way) I’m interested in trying it. I don’t have money for a lot of supplements but if seitan or something similar is good for them then I could easily make it for them..

cats aren’t omnivorous they are obligate carnivores which means they cannot utilise carbs etc and it can make them diabetic – happened to my older cat and she died from kidney failure as a result – i fed her kibble – it dehydrates them and stuffs them up basically

SO is your cat still alive??
I’m appalled TBH. Saving other animals (when in reality pet food is a by product of other meat, they don’t have specific slaughterhouses for pet food, so you’re not actually contributing to the original reason animals are being slaughtered), but your putting your own cats health and life at risk 🙁 so sad! No amount of research into veggie cat food is going to make it healthier than meat for cats. Seriously, this makes me so upset and angry. I’m all about vego food and lifestyle, but not inflicting it onto animals.

Agreed. At worst, providing a vegan diet is a great way to kill a cat – quoted directly from my local professional pet expert. At best, maintaining such a highly specialized pet diet is something exclusive to privileged people with the resources and time. As such, it is dangerous and cruel to propagate the idea that cats can be vegan.

Putting your cats in the fridge AND feeding them gluten? How could you! Really, you must choose one– feed that cat tuna in the fridge or gluten in the cat play house. Otherwise I’ll feel a strong need to share my opinions in as obnoxious and ignorant a manner as possible, as if I really knew what I was talking about.

Oh, I’m sorry. What i meant to say is– this is a fantastic recipe and it’s so easy to make, I’ve given up EVER buying premade gluten. And in fact it’s so yummy, I’m not sharing it with my cat. No siree bob.

@ Clara: I haven’t made this exact recipe, but in general you can store homemade seitan in its broth. Another recipe I’ve use gives 10 days in the fridge as the safe limit. I have no idea what the upper limit is for freezing, since in my world the freezer is a magical place where nothing can ever go bad. By the way, in my experience it freezes (still in its broth) and defrosts with good results.

[…] I adapted this recipe from Isa Moskowitz’s “Vegan with a Vegeance”. It’s a little different from the original but not that much. She also has another version on her website here: http://www.theppk.com/2009/11/homemade-seitan/ […]

Right now i’m making seitan and miso soup at the same time, so i’ve decided to cook the seitan in the miso soup (which isn’t altogether that different from the broth recipe anyway). It did seem a shame to throw out the broth before when finished.

Patrick, don’t throw the broth out… I made seitan 2 nights ago (different recipe that I was not that happy with — thus the search) and tonight we had smoky cauliflower and bean soup with the leftover broth.

I can’t wait to try this recipe. My seitan was rather tasteless and my 3yo loves nooch, much to the chagrin of my omni husband who thinks it is “weird”. I, however, am thrilled because omni, veg, or vegan, I am alway trying to figure out how to get more protein into that carbavore’s diet.

There are many recipes but i don’t usually follow a recipe. if you follow this broth recipe just add a 4 inch piece of Kombu (from an asian or health food store). I also add dried mushrooms. Shiitake works good. make the broth with that added. Then cook your seitan in the broth. When the seitan is done you can add tofu cubes if you like. I use whatever i have around. When everything is good to go add a couple tablespoons of organic miso paste. I use miso master but if i lived somewhere with more options i would choose something local.

If its too salty add a little veggie broth to taste.

Don’t boil it with the miso paste in it.

You can look up other recipes from there and add vegetables, onions, or garlic. whatever you like.

I tried to make this recipe last night and ended up with mock brains…oops! The broth was simmering before i put the dough in it but then when I checked it a few mins later it was boiling. Also, the dough never really turned out to be dough, more just crumbly, juicy mush. And on top of that my timer decided to turn itself off so I don’t know long I had the dough simmering. Still, I decided to fry up whatever it was that I finished with. It had the texture of scrambled eggs (and possibly the taste but I can’t really remember what eggs taste like!) and it was delish so I had it on toast for breakfast this morning. It would go amazingly with some lightly sauteed spinach, mushroom and tomato.

I’m going to make this tonight after a grocery store run to pick up more vital wheat gluten! I’ve gone through several boxes of vwg in my young life without ever having seasoned it. I’m pretty excited to find out what I’ve been missing ha ha.

I’m off soy too! I get migraines and it’s a potential trigger, so I’ve cut it out for the time being. I’ve been having the hardest time finding a substitution for soy sauce, but there’s lots of diy versions that you might be able to eat: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/soy-sauce-substitute/Detail.aspx Here’s one that calls for beef bouillion but I’m sure you could use veg and it would taste the same. I can’t have most of the other ingredients in there so the next chance I get I’m going to spend all day just experimenting with how to make my own!

Isa, what is the purpose of the nutritional yeast in this recipe? Is it for flavor or does it bind? I’ve seen that wheat germ could be used instead of yeast in some instances, but not sure how that would taste.

[…] it ready made, or save a ton of money and make your own using a product called vital wheat gluten. This recipe is extremely versatile and very tasty. The initial batch does take time to cook, but it makes a […]

Woo! This came out REALLY salty. I’ve only made seitan once before, but it had a better flavor and texture than this recipe. I mean, this was still delicious because it’s seitan, the world’s yummiest food, but there are better recipes out there.

I just made this and also found it to be super salty. I was going to use it in Candle 79’s seitan piccata, but I’m afraid the flavor of the seitan will overwhelm the other flavors in the piccata. I’m going to tinker around with the recipe and compare with less flavorful versions. On the bright side, there is so much flavor here you could just saute it and eat it as is, unlike the blander stuff that is flavorless without some sauce, etc.

I just made this and it came out perfect. I didn’t have all the necessary ingredients so I made some substitutions. I used 2 teaspoons of garlic powder instead of the fresh and a low sodium bouillon cube for the stock and it yielded just the right amount of flavor. I also used bragg’s for the soy sauce which seems to be less salty than regular soy. Texturally the seitan came out perfect as well. thanks!

I’ve been making my own seitan for years. Last week I tried this recipe and it’s the best yet. My only criticism is that it’s a bit too salty for my liking even though I used a low sodium soy sauce. Next time I think I’ll leave the soy sauce out of the simmering broth.

I just made this and it turned out delicious! Last time I made seitan I boiled it, and it tasted terrible and had the constancy of brains. Also, the bad seitan I made before this recipe expanded to nearly twice the size. In this recipe, should the seitan expand?

I made this recipe today. I’ve never eaten seitan, so I’m wondering if I made it correctly. It’s very rubbery and gelatinous feeling. I haven’t tasted it yet. I’m just wondering if this texture is normal?? If it is, I’m thinking texturally, this meat alternative isn’t for me.

[…] buy it already made, or make it yourself (much less expensive and also easy). I use the recipe in Veganomicon and it comes out perfect every time. I often double the recipe, as it freezes well and is then […]

[…] the weather is not what you would call spring-y) me and my friends had a vegan BBQ! Complete with seitan skewers, black bean burgers, banana bread, pumpkin muffins, salads, and lots of snacks (and beer of […]

This was really great! My fiance made this for the seitan stroganoff recipe (which I in turn made) and it was awesome! I’m so excited, now we don’t have to spend so much money on seitan and fake meat in the store.

I LOVE this recipe. After several other recipe failures I had completely given up almost a year ago. But I came across this and thought it was worth a try. It was way better than store bought. Thank you so much. I know this will get made alot at my house.

I just made seitan using a different recipe that called for steaming the seitan instead of simmering it, and it seems to be just fine (haven’t eaten it yet). However, I also plan to try Isa’s recipe. Has anyone done both methods, and do you have a preference?

This seitan is the best! I used coconut aminos in the seitan dough because I’m allergic to soy. I didn’t put it in the broth though because it’s $6 for a little bottle. I didn’t put anything extra in the broth either because the Better than Bullion is plenty salty. Also didn’t have lemon juice, just added two more tbsp water. Was fine!

I’ve never tried seitan – recent vegan from a few years as a lacto-ovo – but have been sticking to tofu and tempeh. Am I missing out? Seitan always looks kind of gross if I’m being honest so haven’t yet had the courage to try it 😉

Another idea for using the broth: soke/boil your TVP in it! The TVP gets a nice ‘minced meat’ flavor which works great in traditional European casseroles with mashed potatos, cabbage or sauerkraut etc.

Bragg’s amino acids is NOT SOY FREE. The key ingredient is soy beans (non GMO) in case you are allergic to soy. Thanks for all the other suggestions for replacing the soy sauce for those of us who have loves who are allergic to soy.

If you aren’t sure what to do with your seitan try making “buffalo wings” from them. This is also a great option for seitan beginners who haven’t perfected the end result. Just take whatever you have, cut it up in strips and pan fry in a good high heat oil. Once the strips are crispy remove from heat and let cool for a bit. Then coat in your favorite sticky and delicious buffalo hot sauce and ranch dressing.

I made this today, planning on using it tomorrow to make runzas. Only thing I changed was I boiled it in Better than Bouillon vegetarian “beef” broth, instead of the veggie broth. And after boiling, I thought it was still too soft, so I baked it at 300F for 20 minutes, turning after 10. Turned out perfect! Thank you!

Ok I have made this no fuss simple seitan and I have to say that I do believe it is the best seitan recipe out there especially if you need something simple to jazz up later on with marinades and whatnot. I love love love you Isa & Terry, you guys have helped my vegan kids and I survive many of day and nights and you all continue to help. Hopefully I can be as talented as you guys one day! Thanks Again 4 all of the help…

I made this last night and didn’t end up using half the liquid before I got dough. The seitan is great but really salty. I think it tastes almost like jerky. I am going to try toning down the soy sauce so I can try to make The Chicago Diner’s seitan corned “beef”. However, I think i’m really going to enjoy what I made last night with some fresh veggies and basmati rice. Yum.

This recipe is great, although I actually steamed it instead of boiling, since I am very good at letting the heat get to high and creating brain-consistency seitan. My kitty was also very interested and ate some small pieces. This is a great compliment since she is very picky about her human food (only other thing she likes is chocolate, which she can’t have of course because it’s poisonous to her). We normally feed her organically raised chicken kibble, but we will probably try to give her a vegan formula sometime in the future.

[…] -smoked provolone cheese (or a vegan substitute) 1. Make the seitan according to directions (I used Post Punk Kitchen’sversion although I left out the soy sauce from the cooking water). Pre-packaged seitan would work […]

amanda: you obviously haven’t done your research. Unlike dogs and humans, CATS are natural CARNIVORES and NOT OMNIVORES. You are seriously putting your cat’s health at risk. Not to mention feeding it everything but the one thing it wants: MEAT! At least, feed it some fish. Being Vegan is a wonderful thing, but like religious nuts you need to realize that it isn’t for everyone and everything. If you are going to have a cat feed it a proper diet, not the diet you think it should have.

Ok, I’ve just made this recipe then I left the seitan to sit and cool off in the broth…when I came back and checked on it, there was some funny green stuff in my broth! It was bland and the texture seemed a bit fatty. I dunno. I strained it out. Any ideas of what it might be or what caused this? Did I do something wrong?

Reading this and new to being vegan I have to remark that making homemade Seitan is a bit like jumping off of the high dive into the pool as a kid. Scared to pieces to go but I know if I do jump afterwards I’ll be cool and more confident. Here I go!

I make your seitan recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance often, and it always comes out great! I’m noticing that some of these cooking instructions directly contradict those — VWAV says to make sure the broth is very cold when adding the seitan dough and to leave the seitan in the broth until it’s cool, whereas this says to put it in after it boils and take it out after 15 minutes of cooling. I’m confused! — should I try these instructions instead? What are the advantages of the two different sets of instructions? Thanks!

[…] together to make seitan in place of beef using a combination recipes from Robin Robertson, Isa Chandra Moskowitz and myself. The resulting meal brought back memories of a beef stew that I used to make in a slow […]

[…] fair-haired Carol Anne, angel hair pasta in a cream sauce (recipe below). Side: Take your favorite seitan recipe, cube it and pan fry it in a little oil to make seitan steak bites that WON’T crawl around on […]

So I’m currently stationed in Sicly and haven’t beenable to find nutritional yeast ANYWHERE! I’m vegetarian, not vegan, so would parmesancheese work in place of the nutritional yeast (or would somthing else work better? Or could I just leave it out all together? Is it essential for the recip, or just gfor taste?? Please help!! Thanks in advance:D

I just made this recipe and it worked great. Cut a few pieces & tossed in a fry pan w a little earth balance. Gave a great crunch and dunked in home made BBQ! But now, how do I store the rest??? In broth or dry?

[…] to bring to my work Thanksgiving, I decided to make my own roast “turkey” using the seitan recipe from Veganomican (widely available on the web) but adding some of my own special ingredients. I […]

I used this amazing recipe for Pulled “Pork’ Sandwiches–the menfolk all had seconds! Everyone loved it. Thanks so much for posting this. My husband is going to use the broth for a soup for his lunch tomorrow.

[…] back next year), but what about replacing some meat dishes with delicious vegetarian options? Roast seitan is a great option that even looks and taste like meat! You know there is always so much meat left […]

Thank you Isa! Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out fantastic. I sliced the seitan and rub it with fennel leaves that I had diced extremely fine and some olive oil, s+p, slightly sauteed and deglazed with a little orange juice. Turned out so well. Then, I made a miso like soup with the broth, throwing sliced fennel, nori like seaweed, onion, lentils and pulled seitan. Oh my.

[…] 6. That I can make really yummy seitan, and it’s easy! If you don’t know what seitan is, it’s made from vital wheat gluten – wheat protein – and it tends to be used in Eastern Oriental cuisine where it is often known as ‘mock duck’ or ‘wheat meat’. I ate quite a lot of it in vegetarian restaurants in Hong Kong, and you can buy it ready-made from Chinese supermarkets here in the UK as ‘mock duck’. I’ve learned how to make it and have become a bit addicted to it. I love its chewy texture and it’s perfect for making things like satay sticks with peanut sauce. Anyhow, I’ve been using the recipe from Veganomicon but I found one here on PPK. […]

This was the first time I ever made seitan and it was delicious! Followed the recipe exactly and had no problems at all. Had the seitan the next morning, sauteing, it with olive oil and garlic – yum! Will be making in batches to freeze to have some always on hand. Thank you for this (and all your) recipe(s)!

I usually bake my seitan, more like turkey seitan loaf and it takes hours of turning and changing oven heat. This recipe is phenomenal, myhisband has a citrus so I skip the citrus and even without that, it’s amazing. I’ve even doubled up on these measurements to make a larger portion and it turned out great! I’m so happy I found and tried this seitan recipe:)

3rd time was a charm for this recipe. I’m not sure what I did differently, but I finally made a batch that didn’t look like brains finally :). It’s been delicious every time though. I’m new to vegan cooking and I’m officially addicted to the recipes from Post Punk Kitchen. Buying some cook books from here is definitely in order.

I’ve tried this recipe on 3 occasions and everytime it comes out terribly. I’m sure i must be doing something wrong. It ends up looking like seitan (little rubbery but in a good way) in the middle but the outside is spongy mush. I brought the pot down to a simmer before it even boiled. Any suggestions on how to do this right or why it might be coming out so mushy?

[…] dish from my grandmother’s recipe for Pepper Steak, using a batch of homemade seitan from this recipe at The Post-Punk Kitchen, but you can use store-bought seitan if you’re pressed for time. If you do decide to go the […]

[…] four of us to eat (rather than making a kids dinner and an adult dinner). I will generally use this seitan recipe but I’ve also had rave reviews from making this recipe (with the filling or just making the […]

[…] tried quite a few recipes from the site: Scalloped Potatoes with Eggplant Bacon, the edamame pesto, Homemade Seitan, Marbled Banana Bread and Peanut Butter Blondies. And Bob was lusting after the Pesto Risotto with […]

[…] Seitan can be a little expensive in the grocery store, but if you are brave, you can always make your own. Thank you, Post Punk Kitchen, for coming up with this superstar dish, and thanks to Amanda from […]

The flavor of this seitan is excellent. The first time I made it I also ended up with brainy semi-mushy seitan. In lieu of throwing them out I chopped them up and sautéed them in some oil with fennel seeds, garlic powder, paprika, and cumin. Now we have a new favorite recipe for crumbles– they taste JUST like italian sausage. So good, in fact, that my omnivore asked me, “I thought we don’t buy sausage?” I realized after that experiment that I added too much liquid to my dry mix (I dumped it all in at once).

Isa…I just LOVED this! I had never tried to make it before, the taste and texture is awesome. The five minute saute you suggested brought it to a whole new level. Easy and tasty…..once again you are my idol!! 🙂

[…] is what I used, but I doubled it to make 2 lbs of seitan. You can find the recipe by clicking here: The PPK, Homemade Seitan. You may also buy seitan in a supermarket like Whole Foods. You may need to buy 2-3 containers […]

I’ve been meaning to thank you for this AWEsome recipe and now that I’ve made 6 batches I decided I must stop and write you. I’m a huge fan of Seitan and have tried many recipes before. I had gone back to purchasing it pre-made at whole foods and swore I’d never experiment again. But alas- I did try again using your recipe and it is just superb!! I’m not sure about the comments about it being mushy or ‘brainy’… I followed your instructions and I believe any errors would occur if someone doesn’t knead it or if they boil the hell out of it instead of simmering… (just a guess). This recipe saves us a ton of money and I actually double the recipe to last us for a few meals. It freezes well and lasts in fridge as well.
People need to read and also realize, the final product here is not something you just slice and eat. It gets sauteed, baked or whatever you want using other ingredients to make it taste delicious.
I just tried something new by slicing it extra thin and sauteed with onions and worcestire. My Husband swore it was a cheesesteak! Another yummo thing is to slice and lightly dredge with nutritional yeast and then bake or sautee with a drop of olive oil. I also drizzle a bit of soy while it’s sauteeing and I swear, it’s hard to stop eating.
Thank you again. This recipe will be used for years and years!!

this website is extremely usefull for info on dietary needs of cats. Taurine is indeed essential, and very lacking in cat biscuits. Cat biscuits also dehydrate the cat. They also are mostly cereal, useless to a carnivore. Wet tinned cat food is at least not dehydrating but still has very little actual meat and taurine in and still has cereal.

Can a cat really be vegan? Surely they need meat for more than just taurine? For example raw meat is needed for teeth health. Not critisising, just curious.

[…] of all I will make it clear that this recipe is an adaptation of the QUITE wonderful PPK basic seitan. I wanted something a bit beefier though, for fajitas, stir fries and so on. I altered the recipe […]

Just made this recipe yesterday – my first time making Seitan – and it was delicious! I read through all of the reviews, and find is pretty shocking that anyone could find these too salty. I will probably even add a little more flavor to the seitan (not broth) next time I make it! That being said, it was WAY better in consistency and flavor than the myriad of brands I’ve tried. Plus, good god, at $5 a pop, this recipe is going to save me so much money! Love it, and thanks for sharing :).

Thanks for this recipe! I used about 2 tablespoons of tomato juice, subtracting about 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 of broth. Then I put in a lot of paprika. I did it because I was low on bullion and I thought broth was important in the boil. It turned out great, the tomato and paprika gave it a darker color and the tomato flavor did not dominate, Too much would have been too much.

I was nervous making substitutions, the first experience I had with gluten was a sad gelatinized gruel. Is there a logic or ratio we can think of to experiment without risking everything?
Thanks!

I used Szechuan stir fry sauce with a bit of teriyaki sauce instead of soy sauce, and this turned out fantastic! Also, I used garlic powder instead of the cloves. My husband and 9 month old baby both loved it. Very easy recipe…Thanks!!

[…] style to speed along the process. I also made a big batch of seitan ahead of time using the PPK recipe; I couldn’t bring myself to shell out nearly $10 for 3.5 cups of seitan when I could make it […]

Love seitan, but also need to hold down the sodium, and store-bought seitan is waaay too salty. I used this recipe, but cut the soy sauce to just a dash, and I used onion and garlic powder. Found, too, that adding a bit of celery seed and a little sage gives it a chicken-y flavor.

Off the topic: I’ve raised strays and rescued cats for decades (also am a licensed wildlife rehabilitator), and I have to say that, no matter how much you supplement a cat’s diet, they are and will always be obligate carnivores. They really need animal protein. Like it or not, Mother Nature knows best, and, while dogs can be vegetarians, felines can NOT. The vegetarian cat may look healthy, but the damage is being done to the internal organs. If you want your cat to live a long, happy life (my eldest is now 18 and a 12-year cancer survivor [vaccine-related fibrosarcoma]), reassess any vegetarian diet and get some animal protein into it.

Thanks for a great recipe. I made this, then the next day ran it through the mincer, sauteed it and made an amazing spaghetti bolognese. Today I’m trying to make burgers and those chorizo sausages that come in strings of balls(!) – I have vegan sausage skins which are not common here in the UK but they can be found and they work very well with seitan. I get my Vital Wheat Gluten from a friend who’s about to launch a vegan deli. I pay 4 pounds for 1 kilo and it’s enough to make FOUR of the stuffed seitan roasts in another of the PPK recipes! I’m a very recent convert to “veganism” but now I don’t miss meat at all, especially with this stuff! Knowing my luck I’ll develop a gluten intolerance but until then…….Hail Seitan!

i’m not sure what the consistancy is supposed to be like. I followed the recipe and the seitan came out quite spongy. Is that what uncooked seitan is like? I also thought it was too salty (although I used low sodium vegetable stock and liquid aminos instead of soy sauce). I feel like the taste may overpower whatever I use to cook the seitan in.

[…] from wheat gluten. It has a wonderful meaty flavor and texture. You can either make it yourself (here’s a good recipe), or buy it pre-made. I added a little spice to the stew by chopping up a Serrano chile, but feel […]

[…] of all I will make it clear that this recipe is an adaptation of the QUITE wonderful PPK basic seitan. I wanted something a bit beefier though, for fajitas, stir fries and so on. I altered the recipe […]

[…] here, which needs about a cup of water for every cup of gluten (PPK has a great basic seitan recipe here). No matter what you’re using for liquid, nutritional yeast flakes (which you can get at […]

My second time making seitan in two days. The first batch was from a different recipe. It was a monumental disaster. Your recipe worked flawlessly. I just followed the steps word for word and no problems. I would like to add that after dividing the mixture into 3 separate pieces, I used a technique I had learned in the past for making donairs. To make the seitan nice and dense I took the dough and threw it onto a hard surface repeatedly. Doing this for a couple of minutes will make a nice firm seitan once cooked. It basically makes it more dense with each throw. I hope it helps.

I also did the recipe several times already and absolutely love it. Only problem: every time I make it green waxy stuff sediments in the broth. (One other reader commented on this, see above.) It seems the green stuff appears as the broth cools down. It is waxy in texture, flavorless and seems to do no bad, given that I have enjoyed all of the seitan without any detrimental effects. It nevertheless looks worrisome, and I would rather want to avoid, if only to make my seitan-suspicious friends more comfortable with eating the product. In idea about its origin?

Thanks for the response! The original comment was by someone called J, August 31, 2011 at 11:30 pm. Yes, perhaps something in the broth, or something in the yeast, or the olive oil, or the olive oil when combined with the yeast… I’ll try to figure out by replacing the ingredients one at a time.

This recipe is awesome! I can’t help but screw with things so I put my own twist on it (fresh onions, water instead of soy sauce) while following the steps you’ve provided. One extra thing I did was beat the hell out of the three pieces to make it more dense. I also sauteed it in coconut oil in a skillet. De-lish! Thanks so much for your inspiration!!

[…] this dish from my grandmother’s recipe for Pepper Steak, using a batch of homemade seitan from this recipe at The Post-Punk Kitchen, but you can use store-bought seitan if you’re pressed for time. If you do decide to go the […]

Hey Isa,
I really want to make Seitan, but I’m unable to eat wheat. So I want to make it out of the floor oft sweet lupins. I think, that it could go just like making seitan out of wheat floor (and not gluten floor). Have you any experiences in making seitan this way or hints for me? Lot’s of thanks, I love your recips!

i am so thankful that you wrote this post. my boyfriend has made several unsuccessful attempts at making seitan. we have created many messes – some that were impossible to clean up. this recipe was seamless and simple to follow. THANK YOU

Two questions: 1) Can I re-use the simmering broth? If I refrigerate or freeze it? Also, my seitan looked like brains! But it looked like that before I put them in to simmer. My veggie stock (that I added to the dough) was lukewarm, not cold – 2) could that be why they looked all brainy? No amount of kneading seemed to help. Even though the loaves look super funky, they taste just fine and I plan to make the recipe with your pantry BBQ sauce. Just wondering how to make them a little prettier and more slice-able next time. Thank you!!

it turned out great! never made seitan before and i looked around for a simple recipe. definitely pan fried them before eating, great for sandwiches. I’m excited to test out different seasonings with it!

[…] As I mentioned, I make my own seitan to use in this recipe. You could certainly use store-bought seitan, but it’s really so very cheap and easy to make at home. I use the recipe from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian app. There’s also a great seitan recipe from the Post Punk Kitchen. […]

[…] saw one particular ingredient everywhere, seitan, (In my head head it sounded like this: Seitan – Say What?) It was really hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that there was a food that […]

I just put the simple seitan recipe from Veganomicon into my dehydrator for a few hours and *oh my god* it gave it the most amazing texture. it’s nice and firm on the outside and still tender on the inside. it reminds me of fondue, which I hadn’t had for ten years and didn’t know I missed! I’m trying to figure out how long the dehydrated seitan will keep, and came across your recipe in the process. you rock!

I’ve only been Vegan a few months, so I’m pretty new to all these foods I’ve never even heard of before, let alone made and used. Can you guys please let me know, after you make the seitan, how you use it?! Say I wanted to make meatloaf or meatballs, what would I do then? Do I have to heat it up first if I’m going to bake it or fry it as part of a dish? Sorry for all the questions, I really appreciate the help 🙂

I LOVE this recipe. I’m not a vegan but for some reason I love to cook vegan food! I used this recipe as the “mystery meat” in vegan Gyros….TDF. Slice very thinly and flash brown in a pan. Place in warmed pita with vegan tzaziki, chopped cuc’s onions, and tomatos. BOOM!

I would like to thank you for your generosity in posting this recipe as it has changed my life. I sauteed seitan slices like fajita steak strips and the seitan tasted like really fatty steak. OMG. The texture, the flavor, OMG. I have also been busy making Artisan Vegan Cheeses from Miyoko’s book and we had some hardened Brie from cashews leftover from the other day. With guacamole, and more fixings, we did not miss real meat and cheese together at all. Definitely now a part of our future staple kitchen recipes. My DH who is a meat lover and has begrudgingly eaten vegan meals with me finally said “No more meat. I’m converted” after eating the seitan. Keep up the good work. You’re changing the world, one plate at a time.

Nancy, xanthan gum has no fat and no protein, the few calories it has are from fibrous carbs. It might achieve the glutens us function of holding the stuff together, but it would utterly fail as the kind of meat-substitute that wheat gluten (which is basically protein) serves as. Maybe you could mix xanthan gum with some protein-complementary mix of non-wheat grain and bean flour and it would stick together enough to form a patty to cook. But nutritionally the are nothing alike.

[…] participate in making a world that has a place for everyone. TRY THIS POST PUNK KITCHEN RECIPE Homemade Seitan IS THERE A WAR ON ANIMALS? That’s the wrong question. Of course, humans wage merciless […]

Definitely, *definitely* needs to have the soy sauce cut back. I made this tonight for the BBQ seitan and broccoli… the broc and sauce were perfect. The seitan was too overwhelming salty to taste the sauce. If I use this recipe again I might start by halving the soy sauce or just using more broth.

I used low sodium soy sauce and low sodium vegetable broth and it turned out perfect. I feel it almost makes a better beef substitute than chicken substitute, which is how I originally thought of seitan.

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is there a way to substitute the soy sauce?. I’ve been trying to limit my soy consumption (that’s why I want to use seitan instead of soy protein and this recipe uses a lot of soy sauce). Any ideas / advice is greatly appreciated.

[…] broth. We had leftover broth from making 2 batches of seitan. The recipe for that broth is from the Post Punk Kitchen. You can follow that recipe or you could just use straight vegetable broth, it just wouldn’t […]

This turned out well and was much easier to make than I thought it would be! Unfortunately, after eating seitan daily for almost a week, I have discovered that my body doesn’t like the large amount of gluten 🙁 but for everyone that has no problem with gluten, this is an easy and versatile recipe, and certainly much cheaper than buying prepared seitan.

bizarre. The first time I made this it was in blobs that stuck together, but this time it seems to want to have these pockets inside, almost like the holes in bread. And I cannot make those parts stick together no matter how much I beat the hell out of this stuff. Is it climate related or do I just need to turn on the turbo?

This was fantastic right after being sauted, but it ended up kinda rubbery when I used it in jambalaya. Not sure if I’m doing something wrong or if the hour or so jambalaya takes to cook killed it. It’s now kinda like rubbery tofu, still tastes fine but the texture is odd.

[…] feel so bad about liking a non-vegan cooking show, ha ha. A few weeks ago I actually made homemade seitan from her blog, called Post Punk Kitchen. Now keep in mind, I’m probably about as un-punk as […]

I’ve made this twice now and I just don’t get it – it’s really soft and mushy. I have followed the recipe EXACTLY! It’s just nothing like store bought, or seitan that I get in restaurants. It’s not even close to “meaty” – in fact it’s a little bit disgusting. HELP!

I have used this recipe to make southern fried seitan and I loved it. I cut down heavily on the soy sauce and nooch, as I hate nooch and didn’t want it too salty. I found that I have better luck baking the seitan before adding it to a recipe than sauteeing it

I made this today and it’s fabulous. I recently became a vegetarian and I’ve been looking for some meat alternative that my teenage son will like. My vegan daughter and I just fried up a few pieces and it’s amazingly delicious. I also made the bbq sauce for the seitan, broccoli and bbq dish for tonight, and I know everyone will love it. We live in Hong Kong, so we can’t get a lot of the yummy premade vegan things like people in the US can, but this seitan is delcious and so much cheaper than meat here! Thank you!

[…] about this the other day, and decided I would take a crack at making my own. So, I took a look at a couple different recipes (mostly fairly old ones), and threw something together. I have to say, there is […]

[…] the protein of the flour with all the starch removed. You can make it at home… one recipe here: Homemade Seitan | Post Punk Kitchen | Vegan Baking & Vegan Cooking __________________ Goal: Marathon #4 (ok, so not directly related to AL, but it helps […]

Thank you, Isa! This is much more flavorful than the other recipes for seitan I’ve tried. DBF (vegetarian) and I (omnivore who cooks vegetarian at home for him) don’t like tofu, so it is great to now have a reliable seitan recipe in our repertoire.

Thanks for this recipe! It was so nice, best seitan I’ve ever tasted, whish I’d come across it earlier. Only difference is, is I steamed it for an hour in some foil as I don’t really trust simmering seitan, plus I didn’t have much soy sauce to spare. Came out just fine.

I was having trouble with my seitan looking and feeling like brains *before* cooking. I just added more vital wheat gluten (about 1/2 a cup) and that did the trick! In fact, the more gluten I add, the firmer the finished product becomes (it just gets tough to knead). This is an amazing tasting seitan!

Dammitdammitdammit! I’ve been making seitan for years and never knew you were suppose to simmer instead of boiling! First time last night I got it right because of this recipe. My son and I were gobbling it down right out of the pan. The addition of raw garlic is key too. HAIL SEITAN!

I would like to know if you use a Dark Soy Sauce or a Light Soy Sauce for all your Seitan recipes Is a? Apparently, the Light Soy is saltier than the Dark Soy, which might explain why some found this recipe too salty. Many thanks from New Zealand for all of your wonderful recipes!

This is my first attempt at making seitan and it was delicious! My housemates had lamb roasted in some sort of weird salty meringue, and I eagerly awaited my own novel meal simmering gently on the stove. I couldn’t get hold of nooch so I substituted with chickpea (gram) flour and it was still nom!
Thanks Isa!

A great alternative to this recipe is to add 1 tsp of salt and 3 1/2 tsp of herbs & spices to the dry mix; e.g. 1 x cumin, 1 x onion 1/2 x thyme 1/2 x rosemary 1/2 x marjoram + a pinch of Chinese 5 spice. Use 1 cup of stock for the wet mix and miss out the soy sauce. Then wrap in foil like a toosie roll and steam for 40 minutes or bake at 200C for 50 min, turning half way through. Leave to cool on a surface for up to an hour.

About cats, they need vitamin A as well as taurine. Humans can synthesize vitamin A from beta carotene, but cats have to actually consume vitamin A. You probably came across that in your research but I wanted to mention it for anyone reading this.

YIKES !!! HEY, Amanda, please take both your kitty & your dog to a reputable vet… Please feel free to MESSAGE ME, too… You cannot make your kitty or your DOG vegan or Vegetarian without hurting their health @ this point in time. KNOW you don’y want to do that.

Hi there used ur basic seitan recipe but instead of simmering in broth I baked in oven pressed into flat discs I also seasoned it with some smoky seasonings as it’s the meat for my vegan chili tomorrow for New Year’s Eve last time I simmered it was a jiggly mess prefer this way Bc it’s nice and firm meat like texture any suggestions on tempeh?

Thank you for sharing this recipe! I used it to demonstrate the spongy, stretchy qualities of gluten to my high school students. None of them had heard of seitan before and were really skeptical, but they enjoyed it! I added a brown gravy to show the thickening power of flour. It was an excellent addition to our basic ingredients unit. I loved the Challah and will use that during our upcoming yeast bread unit. Thank you, thank you!

Amanda I am Vegan you are Vegan your KITTY is NOT ! Do you want it to die ?? Cause it will. Cats and dogs are carnivores see those teeth they are there for a reason !
That being said
My Actual question is Can the broth be reused ?

I am experiencing the same issues as a lot of other posters… the seitan did not form a cohesive ball and fell apart in the simmering broth. 🙁 Very sad. I followed the recipe to the T. Mark Bittman’s seitan recipe is delicious and the only seitan recipe that’s ever worked for me.

I tried this recipe just last night. I am a fairly new vegan had never made seitan before. Honestly, it the best seitan I have had! I followed the recipe exactly, except I used Braggs instead of soy sauce. I have stocked up on vital wheat gluten, and will never buy seitan again. I will always make my own. I really appreciate this recipe! <3

I am new to seitan and have been having a good time trying out new recipes (like this one) for a savory/salty product. But, I am really interested in whether anyone has tried making a sweeter/non-salty version? I want to increase the protein in my AM oatmeal and have been toying with making seitan using cinnamon / allspice, etc instead of the savory ingredients. Am going to give it a while anyway but would would love some ideas or cautionary tales if anyone has them.

Hi all. . .I tried making my seitan a lil different and used hot broth to mix in the dry ingredients. . . .it made the finished product texture nice and chewy (if anyone wants that result).. . .I simmered, breaded and fried some, the other I cut into strips, coverd with bbq sauce mixed with apple cider vinegar, covered and baked on 350° for 45 mins. . the poofed up while cooking but quickly settled back down to wonderfully chewy bbq-y goodness!! Ok, now I’ve got to go get in the leftovers!! oh and I never throw out the simmering broth. . I cook veggies in it or make gravy!!

I had been wanting to try seitan for the longest time and so I decided to make this recipe last night. My whole family LOVED it! Once it was sauteed it almost tasted like steak, which was a tad creepy as a vegetarian, but delicious. Thanks again, Isa!!

Isa, I am heartbroken… This is my very first PPK Recipe ISSUE !!! I followed the recipe EXACTLY, but ended up with such a wet “dough”, there was no way to knead it… I didnt know what else to do but to add more dry ingredients… I started with more VWG, & when that wasnt working I added both oats , then panko !!! YIKES… Could you please show pics on this… I REALLY need to get this right… My “dough” was SO MUSHY, I couldnt use it !!!(I am using the BEST VWG, Bobs Red Mill, & I followed the directions EXACTLY… Thank-You XXX

I used this recipe to make an” Italian Sausage” for pizza topping and sandwich meat and it was fantastic. Two tablespoons per pound of the following mix, and substituted broth for soy sauce in the dough and for simmering.

You are absolutely awesome and so is this recipe!
I weatherize homes and go out of town for weeks at a time. I work with mostly with men and one other woman. Generally the girls are stuck cooking and this recipe combined with a seitan sloppy joe mix go great! They can not even tell the difference! Converting the carnivals

Does anyone know if nutritional yeast has iodine in it? My vegetarian daughter has thyroid cancer and needs to be on a low-iodine diet prior to her treatment. So: no seaweed or sea salt (or other sea products) and no soy products (and a few other beans). Her proteins are limited to lentils, chickpeas, nuts, seeds, and grains. Fortunately wheat is OK and I have a good bit of vital gluten in the freezer! I’m a bread baker so I think making seitan will be a lot of fun.

Isa, I will also check out your website for a good veggie broth recipe. My favs are to use the broths from from soaking dried mushrooms or from boiling potatoes. Potato broth is also awesome in homemade bread. For the seitan I want a really flavorful broth since our choices are limited.

I can’t believe I MADE this! Been putting off making it because past results were unpredictable. Perfection at last! After reading all the comments I made one small change. Reduced the soy sauce to 1/4 cup. I kneaded the dough until I could see the gluten strands ‘coating’ the outside. Then cut, kneaded and smacked it silly on the cutting board. I guess I scared it enough that it is never ever going to be spongy on me again. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you. Oh, this broth is full flavored and great to use anywhere you might use broth.

[…] do when they’re trying to find something: I googled it. A few quick searches led me to this blog article and recipe. Then I went to Amazon.com and bought 88 oz. of vital wheat gluten which is basically powdered […]

Hi! Thanks so much for the recipes! I loooooove this site! I’ve made this a few times and upon kneading, mine releases a puddle of liquid. I mean a lot, like a quarter cup. if I add more VWG, I get brains. if not, seitan perfection. Anyone else have this problem? Also, save the broth! I use it to make UnBeef shtoo!

Not sure what I am doing wrong, I’ve tried this recipe and at least 4 other approaches including baking, pre-frying adding besan flour. End result is always cooked or boiled dough and not the meattyness that store bought or restaurant seitan offers. Any suggestions would be great, this has been quite frustrating.

[…] showing you today was born from the “Homemade Seitan” recipe on The Post Punk Kitchen ( http://www.theppk.com/2009/11/homemade-seitan/ ). That is the beautiful thing about cooking, you can find an amazing recipe and make it your […]

Evan, I’ve found that steaming is the easiest way to prevent your seitan from being too mushy. Also, the flavor stays in the seitan better if you steam so no need for a broth to boil in. It is done when it gets a firmness to the touch. Try making one of Isa’a seitan sausage recipes to get the sense of what it feels like when seitan becomes firm and cooked and then just steam this recipe as a patty. I’m actually venturing back into boiling now my boyfriend likes the mushy texture and he usually eats most of each batch. Wish me luck. It is definitely more difficult to get a nice, thoroughly cooked, boiled seitan then a steamed seitan.

Anyone know if I can substitute whole wheat flour for the gluten because I live in a small town and they do not have that here and I really don’t have the money to drive over an hour away to get that. Thanks!

My oh my, this recipe is fantastic. Whenever I bake seitan I get this hard, dense block of seitan that is rather difficult to eat, and only suitable for slicing onto sandwiches. This seitan is soft, slightly spongy (not sure if it’s supposed to be, but it like it!) in turn super easy to eat as stir fry or as traditional meat replacement in recipes. Just pop it onto some oil and you end up with a nice texture on the outside but a soft consistency on the inside.

Seitan shouldn’ be tasteless unless you insist on making it that way. Like tofu, it will absorb whatever you cook it in. The herbs and sauces you mix into the flour make a difference. The broth you cook it in counts. Whether you simply simmer it (for me, that creates a sponge… not terribly appealing), or if you pan fry it first before simmering, creates different textures for different kinds of recipes. I’m particularly fond of doing the latter and turning that into steak au poivre. Mmmm! And of course the recipe you use the seitan in makes all the difference in the world. Sauce good. No sauce, not necessarily bad, but riskier. A non-veg friend recently enquired about why in blazes would anyone want to eat it. The answer was two-fold: a. it provides a chew, which is absent in much of a vegetarian diet, and b. it satisfies the craving for “savory”. Like tofu, meat-eaters love to poke fun at it, but all foods are an acquired taste for SOMEONE. A billion Asians can’t be all wrong.

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[…] fair-haired Carol Anne, angel hair pasta in a cream sauce (recipe below). Side: Take your favorite seitan recipe, cube it and pan fry it in a little oil to make seitan steak bites that WON’T crawl around on […]

This desgn is steller! You certainly know how to keep a reader amused.
Between your wit andd your videos,I was almost moved to staart my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Excellent job.
I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it.
Too cool!

Thank you for this recipe! I use it a lot personally but also for my Bakery class to show the tough, elastic qualities of gluten. None of my students ever know what seitan is, but they all willingly try it and admit they kind of like it!

I’ve been making seitan from scratch using white flour since it’s not available here and vital wheat gluten is not to be found. (I live in Kenya). I’ve even been selling it around town because it’s such a hot commodity! Any insight on how to insert more flavor into the flour? With Vital Wheat Gluten you can add so much flavor but when you wash the flour away most of it seems to go down the drain. I’d love any insight/experiences from those making it from flour themselves. Thanks in advance!!!

I am so glad I found you! I am 68. Used to be a vegan in my teens to 35. Now, I am coming back to it. This site is fabulous! I have bookmarked it at the top. Tomorrow I will go shopping! Can’t wait to start my renewal of my Vegan life. Thanks.

This recipe is AWESOME!!! Its a great jumping off point for experimenting with texture and flavor. I’m making it every week now and it just keeps getting better…plus its saving me a boat load of cash 🙂 Thank you so much!!

I finally got brave enough to try this for the first time today. I totally forgot to add the nutritional yeast, but it is still really, really, really good! Thank you SO much! You’ve just helped me get to a new apex in my journey into meat free dining. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

i’ve followed the “simmering” seitan recipe in your latest book “Isa Does It” where it calls for 2 cups gluten and 1/2 cup soy (so similar proportions) and i can’t eat it – its way too salty. Its a shame i didn’t see this website before i cooked the recipe today 🙁 as i would have saved myself time and money. given the numerous comments from people saying this was too salty i’m surprised there wasn’t a note in the book suggesting that readers may want to tweak proportions if they don’t want death by sodium?

[…] our own seitan lately, using Terry Hope Romero’s recipe in her cookbook, Viva Vegan!, but Post Punk Kitchen has a great recipe for it too. You can also buy about 16 ounces of the pre-packaged stuff at your […]

I had never heard of seiten before and I just recently started eating meat free for health reasons. While looking for recipes one of them mentioned this product and after googling I found this blog. I read all the comments about saltiness etc and decided to try it. I made it exactly as the recipe stated except I reduced the soy by half. After it was done I sliced and fried it for gyros. I have to say for a first timer I thought it was amazing . Tasted much better than I thought it would based on the beginning texture as I kneaded it lol.thanks so much for the detailed instructions.

My 15 year old daughter made a double batch if this tonight. After boiling for 45 minutes, she drained it sliced it into 1 inch thick slices, seasoned them with cajun seasoning, salt and pepper and sautéed them. The seitan was wonderful. She said we were never buying store bought again.
Thanks so much for the recipe

Hello … I need your help! I have been vegan since several months ago and I have tried several seitan recipes out there and most of the time they taste like gluten. Why is this happening? Ill try this one but your recommendation is appreciated.

[…] anything you like! This post from One Green Planet has some great tips for making seitan and this post from The Post Punk Kitchen has the recipe from Veganomicon which is my go-to seitan recipe. For the […]

Thank you… I am going to try this for sure! I always make vegan gravy for hubby and will use some of the broth for this… Also I freeze washed vegetable ends, onions, celery, peppers, asparagus, and everything till I have a big bag in freezer and then boil it up in stock pot for a few hrs on back of stove… Strain and freeze. Best free veg stock!

[…] These recipes take some time, have several moving parts, and use unique ingredients. For the recipes with seitan, you can either make your own seitan at home, or you can buy it. Whole Foods and other health food stores have it with the other meat substitutes, and sometimes you can find it at regular grocery stores near the tofu. Seitan is inexpensive to make, but it can be time consuming and a little tricky to pull off. A vegan right of passage is to prepare it incorrectly, resulting in a brain-like texture. We’ve all been there, so don’t feel bad if you mess it up. If you want to experiment, Isa Chandra has really good, versatile seitan recipe. You can find it here. […]

[…] I recommend using Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s recipe to make your own seitan. You can find the recipe on her blog or in the 10th anniversary edition of her book Vegan with a Vengeance. Follow Isa’s fool proof […]

This recipe is just amazing! I am fairly new to vegan cooking, and this one will definitely be good to have up my sleeve for so many dishes. Tonight we sliced it up, sauteed it with peppers and onions, and ate on sub rolls…omg, so yummy! Isa, I just found your site about a week ago, and I’ve already made the chocolate cake with ganache, the chickpea cutlets (made this dough twice; first time, made cutlets, second time, added basil, onion, oregano, nooch, and replaced soy sauce with extra broth to make meatballs), and today the seitan. It is all just wonderful! Thank you so much!! 🙂

[…] wheat gluten, the protein part of wheat that makes bread rise. You can actually make your own homemade seitan without spending a great deal of time or money. If you’re new to seitan, try this seitan stir-fry […]

I made this tonight and then used in your broccoli stir fry recipe. Not sure where I went wrong but it came out ground beef consistency. Awesome flavor though! My husband will think it’s tofu and not complain (he thinks he hates seitan). Did I not kneed long enough? Not cook (in broth) long enough? Did something too long? Any thoughts?

Just tried your recipe, and it was simply stunning! Fantastic! I have had lots of seitan eating out and this topped it by miles. I rolled the pieces out a little smaller so that they resembled 12 thin-ish escalops, and then gently fried them after simmering. Thank you so much. If this is done sensitively then this setain recipe is life changing.

[…] of all I will make it clear that this recipe is an adaptation of the QUITE wonderful PPK basic seitan. I wanted something a bit beefier though, for fajitas, stir fries and so on. I altered the recipe […]

hi isa
in you book VWAV you say the water/brother should be very cold when the gluten pieces come in. Here you say it should be simmering. What is the difference or which is better for firmer seitan? Thank you

So I am new to making Seitan. It seems almost every recipe calls for soy sauce, and the primary reason given is to make this a complete protein. To me soy sauce is a very powerful flavor, very salty. I like the idea of seitan because everyone says it is so versatile but it seems to me adding soy limits your options. Are there other options to add other than soy sauce, or liquid amino, or any other salty variant?

Best recipe I’ve tried for seitan. I tried the bake in a log wrapped in foil and they didn’t taste well at all. I didn’t add the nutritional yeast as I don’t like its taste. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’m cooking a second batch today and will see how it goes.

I have made this recipe so many times and it always turns out great. I’ve simmered it (and the key word here is SIMMER) and I’ve baked it to make a chewier rib-style seitan. Both ways are great. It’s very adaptable to different seasonings as well.

[…] It is made with vital wheat gluten, which is the byproduct of wheat processing. I make my own sometimes which is very easy, but buying it in a packet is WAY easier (this is the brand I recommend). […]

I’m not a very confident vegan cook, but both times I have made this recipe, it has been delicious. I am going to try reducing the amount of soy next time as it was quite salty, but still delicious!
Thank you for helping me make delicious vegan food for my husband 😀

I’m going to try a 1/2 recipe for this bc I’ve never made seitan before that it didn’t end up like a sponge so I have very little hope. But we can always dream, right? I really want to try steaming seitan but can’t find a recipe where the seitan sits unwrapped in a steamer.

I am neither vegan nor vegetarian….I just enjoy good food and love to try new things, so my cookbook collection is as diverse as my diet. I like seitan and plan to make it from scratch, so I have been searching for the best recipes. Now that I see a recipe for piccata, I cannot wait to make my first batch. Wish me luck!

This is one of the best seitan recipes I’ve found; I make it quite often and have been for several years now. The herbs and spices are easily changed to make whichever flavour I’m wanting. Thanks for sharing it, Isa. ^_^